Don advocates expansion of foreign policy makers

The President of Society for International Relations Awareness (SIRA), Prof. Nuhu Yaqub, has said the scope of the country’s foreign policy should be expanded.

Speaking yesterday at a public lecture on ‘Democratic Control of Foreign Policy: The Nigerian Experience’, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, he said politicians were undermining foreign policy for personal gains.

The lecture was organised by the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN).

Yaqub said National Assembly members were not really interested in the welfare of Nigerians, noting that the lawmakers’ attitude and comportment indicated that they were only after their interests.

He said: “It should be noted that foreign policy is not completely divorced from domestic policy. In doing that, national interest should be the guiding rule in foreign policy making.

“But when you look at the way politicians conduct themselves, you begin to wonder whose interests they are serving. They are interested in the commercial gains they will make. They engage in cross carpeting, vote buying and manipulations of the electoral process.

“Therefore, we need to have members of the civil society, non-government organisations, business group and other agencies to participate in foreign policy direction in the country. It should no longer be left in the hands of politicians alone.”

The speaker said there should be awareness and enlightenment on foreign policy direction, stressing that the public input would make positive impact.

He noted that it was no longer fashionable to limit the country’s foreign policy to the government alone, urging the public to pay attention to democratic process.

“It has worked out well in a number of countries that are serious about changing their foreign policies to reflect domestic interests. In deciding it, poverty must be eradicated; education must be given its rightful place.

“The better the people are educated, the better they make input in foreign policy direction. At the moment, we have large number of people of school age, who are out of school. This must be improved upon because the better educated a society, the better inputs come from the public in foreign policy implementation,” Yaqub said.

ARCAN Chairman Ambassador Oladapo Fafowora said it was in the interest of Nigeria’s foreign policy and effectiveness to ensure wider participation.

He added that the objective of the country’s foreign policy will achieve its aims when it gets public support, noting that when the government takes into account public views, the better for the country.

“The National Assembly has not been effectively performing its duties in terms of foreign policy. The reason is that foreign policy is not the kind of issue, which will excite the public. They are much interested in bread and butter issues.

“The National Assembly must assert its right as part of its responsibilities. There must be synergy between foreign and domestic policies. Where this exists, there will be greater chances of success in foreign policies implementation,” Ambassador Fafowora said.